Just don’t expect prices to go down. This is still Bordeaux we are talking about.

Burgundy
For many growers here, harvest started three weeks early, thanks to marvelous weather during the growing season that boosted ripening. Picking early is a boon to winemakers who worry about when the inevitable fall rains will begin. Most winemakers are happy, especially when it comes to the whites, which Laurent Drouhin of Joseph Drouhin says have floral and fruity flavors. The super-hot, dry summer saved the day after a humid spring that threatened mildew, and rain at the end of August kept acidity in the grapes.

In Chablis, Julien Brocard of Jean-Marc Brocard winery says the taste of the unfermented grape juice is immensely pure. When it comes to reds, says Paul Wasserman, whose family company, Le Serbet, handles dozens of top Burgundy producers, this will be a darker, riper vintage with good structure. The Côte de Beaune had better conditions than the Côte de Nuits, where two hailstorms caused substantial damage.

Champagne
Enthusiasm is high, with such grower comments as, “I might not see another one like this in my lifetime!” For the fifth time in the last 15 years, picking started in August and is almost finished. Early ripening also reflects the way climate change is altering the growing season.

The Taittinger family reports that the ripeness levels mean richness and lush aromas in the wines. Early morning temperatures of only 32F ensured good acidity in the grapes, too. And the quantity is big enough—perhaps 10 million bottles more than last year—to allow vignerons to rebuild their depleted stocks of reserve wine, according to Thibaut Le Mailloux at trade organization Comité Champagne. These are essential in creating top-quality, non-vintage house blends.

Hubert de Billy, the fifth generation to run famous Champagne house Pol Roger, sums up 2018 this way: “After talking with my father Christian, born in 1928, we have never seen such a remarkable harvest in terms of both quality and quantity. After 1988, 1998, and 2008, the years ending in “8” truly keep on rocking.”

Loire Valley
Optimism reigns. Wine trade organization InterLoire collected grape samples from all the region’s various appellations such as Muscadet, and predicts wines of “excellent quality.”

The weather tale here is pretty much the same as elsewhere in France: sun, no rain, and high temperatures that accelerated ripening. Best of all, after two difficult years with small crops (and lots of worry), most vignerons will produce significantly more wine. Sadly, because of rainy, humid weather in June, some organic producers that don’t use preventative chemical sprays lost a lot of grapes to virulent mildew.

Rhône Valley
In a weird turn of events, the harvest in the northern part of the Rhône started before it did in the south. Vignerons began picking reds last week, about seven to 10 days earlier than usual. The region’s trade organization, Interprofession des Vins Côtes du Rhône and Vallée du Rhône, reports “the vines are in excellent condition.” That’s despite burning sun and super-dry conditions.

In 2017, 371 million bottles of Rhône wines were sold; 2018 will produce much more. Quality looks very good, especially in the north. In the latest Rhône hot spot, Crozes-Hermitage, Laurent Combier of Domaine Combier is “anticipating a bright future for the wines.”